Thankfully, one industry that usually has work for skilled people in the industry is construction.  So for those who are skilled laborers, this is a very comforting notion.

However, currently the situation in LA has been reversed in the sense that there are simply not enough skilled laborers to fill positions in the construction industry.  Indeed, according to a recent survey compiled by the Associated General Contractors of America, 75% of construction firms in commercial real estate working throughout western America have been encountering difficulties filling vacant positions, including: bricklayers, carpenters, painters, etc.

With such chronic labor shortages in the region, there could be substantial negative economic impacts.  In order to reverse this, it has been suggested that a greater investment is made in technical and career-industry education.

During the time of the survey, California added almost 50,000 construction jobs comprising 34,000 in Southern California. An additional 9,200 construction jobs were added in Los Angeles County according to the state Employment Development Department.